Shin Sang-hoon returns to the top of the Asian League for the 10th time in two years. HL Anyang is starting a new season
Jul 10, 2025
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HL Anyang, which finished maintaining its team roster this season, will begin preparing for the 2025-2026 Asian League ice hockey season with physical training starting on the 14th.
HL Anyang, the ninth champion of last season, quickly reorganized its squad after the end of the season and confirmed its roster earlier this month. As additional members of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics leave the team, the proportion of young blood is expected to increase.
Veteran forwards Park Jin-kyu and Lee Young-joon, and Defense Kim Won-jun have withdrawn from active duty. To fill their gap, HL Anyang newly recruited forwards Lee Yoon-seok and defense Kwon Min-jae, who graduated from Korea University.
Lee Yoon-seok, who participated in Division 1 Group B of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in 2025, is a promising player who has been highly regarded for his wide vision and sensuous passes since Kyungbok High School. He played in five World Championships, scoring one goal and one assist. Kwon Min-jae, who stands out for his physicality of 1m85, is considered to play a stable game with a good balance between offense and defense. Kwon Min-jae is expected to be given a heavy responsibility in the HL defense line this season, which has increased its vacancy due to the military enlistment of Jihyo and Yoo Bum-seok and the transfer of Lee Min-jae.
Lee Nam-gyu, a graduate of Kwangwoon University, was recruited to the position of gatekeeper for which Matt Dalton retired. HL Anyang aims to transplant Dalton's know-how to Lee Nam-kyu, who will be used as a part-time goalie coach, to nurture it as a future resource.
Shin Sang-hoon, who left the team playing in the U.S. ECHL and Poland last season, returned to his home after two years. HL Anyang expects the return of Shin Sang-hoon, who has gained experience in overseas leagues, to strengthen his goal-making ability.
The 2025-2026 Asian League ice hockey will determine the champion through the semifinal playoff after HL Anyang and five Japanese teams (Red Eagles, Tohoku Free Blades, Nikko Icebucks, Yokohama Gritz, and Kobe Stars) play 40 regular league games per team. The Kobe Stars entered the league anew, and weekday games were revived.
HL Anyang will start the season with an away game against Nikko Icebucks on September 20, and the home opener is scheduled for 4 p.m. on October 4 against the Yokohama Gritz.
HL Anyang plans to focus on physical training this month and start full-fledged ice skating training next month when coach Baek Ji-sun, who is currently staying in the U.S., returns home.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
